Pathfinder MMO

An exciting new era in gaming begins with Pathfinder Online, a next-generation Massively Multiplayer Online fantasy roleplaying game currently in development from Goblinworks in partnership with Paizo Publishing!

Pathfinder Online is a hybrid sandbox/theme park-style MMO where characters explore, develop, find adventure and dominate a wilderness frontier in a land of sword and sorcery. The Pathfinder world is high fantasy in the tradition of epics like The Lord of the Rings, Conan, the Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones.

The Pathfinder setting includes many different classic and modern fantasy elements, from lost cities shrouded in misty jungles to decaying pyramids amidst deserts of burning sands to a fantastic island metropolis where folk from across the world live side by side with all manner of fantastic creatures. The Pathfinder world has a place for any story a player wants to tell. (For more information on the world of Pathfinder and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, please visit paizo.com/pathfinder.)

Pathfinder Online's robust trading system puts players in control of the world's economy with player-created items, consumables, fortifications, and settlements. Character-controlled settlements can grow into full-fledged kingdoms that compete for resources as they seek to become the dominant force in the land, raising vast armies to hold their territory against the depredations of monstrous creatures, NPC factions, and other player characters.

Social organizations scale from small parties of a few adventurers to player nations inhabited by thousands. As settlements develop, the surrounding wilderness develops more complex and challenging features, including randomly generated encounters and resources as well as exciting scripted adventures.

The design process for Pathfinder Online has only just begun, and there is plenty of opportunity for gamers to get in on the ground floor of this exciting new project. Paizo and Goblinworks are committed to soliciting player feedback, and you'll be able to track the game's development here at goblinworks.com.

Enter your email address in the box on this page to receive updates on Goblinworks and the development of Pathfinder Online!

They've started a kickstarter for a tech demo and already surpassed their goal; basically the minimum funding goal appeared to be what they were looking at to secure middleware and development software for their team. Besides funding the project beyond the initial tech demo, additional funding will also probably go a long way in demonstrating interest in their concept. It sounds like a more involved and PnP-like MMO experience but some of it is pretty vague - which is acceptable for asking to help fund a tech demo.

They're being pretty up-front about the limited scope of the initial Kickstarter goal which is good because their team members have varying types of PnP or MMO product experience with one being versed in MMO marketting, one having graphic design and extensive PnP sales/marketting managment and executive experience, one having rather impressive PnP RPG design credentials and only one having notable video game design experience. They do have established reputations that are probably worth many times more to them than the funding goals of this projects - so I consider them very safe to take at their word. I would suggest actually doing that though with regard to the kickstarter campaign. They say they're looking to create a tech demo and demonstrate interest in the project - that's a part of MMO development and pitching that can be reasonably funded by kickstarter and they've actually just surpassed the minimum they had asked for.

They aren't claiming that this kickstarter is meant to, will, or even can be expected to fund the project outright. That shows that they aren't naive; but backers will hopefully understand that giving a hundred bucks and being part of the community getting them to 1.8 million dollars wouldn't mean you get a Pathfinder MMO in a year without them still having to secure a partnership with a publisher. Even DoubleFine Adventure level funding would only cover world building and a maybe a large chunk of development but it would not secure long term support or bankroll the large upfront staffing requirements they'd need. So keep in mind that these are folks who you can trust to mean what they say but that you should be sure you're listening to what they're actually saying.

Edit: Speak of the devil, they posted this to their kickstarter comments emphasizing the scope of the project just in case anyone did have the wrong idea. I do appreciate them being candid:

Thanks for understanding. I hope I don't sound harsh, but we're of the opinion that we need to strike a strong line here; we don't want less careful readers thinking they're getting something they're not—or supporting something they're not. This is not the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter, it's the Pathfinder Online Technology Demo Kickstarter, and the clearer we make that, the less we will disappoint people.

We realize—and tremendously appreciate—that some people want to support the full game, and *only* the full game, and we *really* want that to happen… but this is not the time for that.

Yeah, as an SP game it would interest me … There's almost too many MMOs out there already … And the cake is only so big …

—  Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius  and a lot of courage  to move in the opposite direction. (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)